Despite introducing what I like to think of as a new hybrid hard music form, Gregorian Rock is a bit of a quandary. As its namesake implies, Gregorian Rock explores the mostly uncharted musical waters of Gregorian chant and contemporary music styles, or at the very least is one of the few attempting to incorporate both. Whereas it is unique in its approach, the project of San Antonio, Texas native Roland Dale Benedict stays true to the ‘rock’ aspect of its moniker, and with the exception of one song off its 2017 third full length offering Fire, does not go under a “Gregorian Hard Rock” or “Gregorian Metal’ heading for a reason. This being how it makes generous use of keyboards, bass and acoustic guitar (not to mention cello and woodwinds) while relegating electric guitars to the backend in playing a mostly soloing role. No, nothing wrong with this in that as we shall see in the song breakdown portion to the review, songwriting quality is not compromised in that overall Fire holds up well with repeat listen.
Track Listing:
“Consuming Fire” (4:38),
“Reap What You Sow” (3:33),
“Skies Proclaim” (4:22),
“Unwelcome Goodbye” (3:34),
“Fire From Heaven” (3:57),
“Blood & Fire” (4:39),
“Pillar Of Fire” (4:28),
“Talon” (3:20),
“Remember The Name” (3:05),
“Ashes” (4:28), “Wisdom” (4:06),
“In Terra” (6:56)
Musicians
Roland Dale Benedict – Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Stick, Wind Controller & Programming
Scott McCullor – Lead Vocals
Phil Keaggy – Guitars
Vinnie Moreno – Guitars
Jay Pilkington – Guitars
Paul Neil – Guitars
Dara Benedict – Cello
John Adams – Bass
Kyle Benedict – Double Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums
Paul Garretson – Drums